{"id":2050910,"date":"2023-09-30T14:59:02","date_gmt":"2023-09-30T18:59:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/arizona-school-official-sues-district-that-prohibited-her-from-quoting-bible\/"},"modified":"2023-09-30T15:05:10","modified_gmt":"2023-09-30T19:05:10","slug":"arizona-school-official-sues-district-that-prohibited-her-from-quoting-bible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/arizona-school-official-sues-district-that-prohibited-her-from-quoting-bible\/","title":{"rendered":"Arizona school official sues district for Bible-quoting ban."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Farizona-school-official-sues-district-that-prohibited-her-from-quoting-bible%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2050910&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><blockquote>\n<div data-post-content=\"true\" class=\"post_content\" id=\"post_content\">\n<p>A Peoria Unified School District governing \u2063board member in Arizona has filed\u200d a\u2062 lawsuit in federal court \u2063accusing district officials of violating her civil rights by denying\u200d her freedom\u2062 to quote Bible \u200bverses during board meetings.<\/p>\n<p>The Christian conservative \u2064nonprofit First Liberty Institute\u200d filed the complaint in\u200d U.S.\u200b District Court in Tucson\u200b on behalf of Heather Rooks on Sept. 26.<\/p>\n<p>The suit \u2062names the Peoria Unified School District as the \u2064defendant in the case.<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode\">\n      <!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"border-comp-divider mb-4 mr-4 w-full max-w-[500px] border px-5 py-4 text-[16px] leading-[20px] text-[#262626] md:float-left\" id=\"in_article_related_stories\">\n<h2 class=\"mb-3 font-sans text-[16px] font-semibold uppercase leading-[19px] text-[#2F2F2F]\">Related Stories<\/h2>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\">\n              <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/world\/mp-calls-on-canadian-heritage-committee-to-denounce-peel-school-board-book-purge-5500531?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/p>\n<h3>MP Calls on Canadian\u200d Heritage Committee to Denounce \u200bPeel School Board Book Purge<\/h3>\n<p>              <\/a>\n            <\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">9\/28\/2023<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\">\n            <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/world\/mp-calls-on-canadian-heritage-committee-to-denounce-peel-school-board-book-purge-5500531?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/a>\n          <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\">\n              <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/conservatives-say-christian-nationalism-used-by-the-left-to-paint-them-as-extremists-and-white-supremacists-5499683?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/p>\n<h3>Conservatives Say Christian Nationalism Used by the Left\u2062 to Paint Them as Extremists\u2064 and &#8216;White Supremacists&#8217;<\/h3>\n<p>              <\/a>\n            <\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">9\/28\/2023<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\">\n            <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/conservatives-say-christian-nationalism-used-by-the-left-to-paint-them-as-extremists-and-white-supremacists-5499683?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/a>\n          <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>      <!--\/$-->\n    <\/div>\n<p>It claims, among other things, that\u200d district officials violated Ms. Rooks&#8217;s right to freedom of speech and religion under the United States and Arizona constitutions by\u2062 claiming her \u2063quoting of scripture was unlawful.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-figure\" style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:1200px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"aligncenter\"><figcaption>A Bible sits placed\u2062 behind a chair in Iglesia Cristiana Bethel, in Tijuana, Mex., on Feb. 5, 2022. (John Fredricks\/The Epoch Times)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>At \u200bleast one secular political action group \u2062threatened to sue\u2062 the district \u200dif Ms.\u200c Rooks did not cease reading Bible \u200dpassages during the public comment at board meetings.<\/p>\n<p>The \u206428-page complaint filed by Ms. Rooks argues\u200b that legal\u200c and historical precedent and constitutional authority guarantee her the ability to\u200d openly and freely quote\u200b from The Bible.<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode post-related-videos\">\n      <!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"lazyload-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"lazyload-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>      <!--\/$-->\n    <\/div>\n<p>&#8220;Heather Rooks isn&#8217;t\u200d a\u200d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/millennia-old-skills-revived-onstage-at-ntd-international-classical-chinese-dance-competition\/\" title=\"Ancient skills shine at NTD Classical Chinese Dance Competition.\">famous historical figure<\/a> or a household name,&#8221; the suit states, &#8220;but she too wants to be part of the longstanding tradition of government officials solemnizing public occasions in this way.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;After all, the current U.S. president, the \u200cfirst U.S. president, and an\u2063 unbroken chain of U.S. officials in between have quoted scripture \u200dto solemnize official\u200c occasions \u2062or speeches, encourage \u200btheir \u200dfellow citizens, and fortify themselves to carry out their official \u2064duties.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;There is nothing unlawful about Rooks doing\u200b likewise.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>A mother of four children\u200c in district schools,\u200b Ms. Rooks won \u2062election\u2063 to the five-member \u200bdistrict governing board \u200din 2022.<\/p>\n<p>The governing board meets twice monthly to discuss and\u2064 take action\u2062 on \u2062policies and procedures affecting 36,000 students in 42 schools.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>      \u2064    When Ms. Rooks took office in January, \u2064she \u2062immediately began\u2064 opening\u200d the public comment during board \u200bmeetings with a brief quote from Scripture.<\/p>\n<h2>Legal Dispute<\/h2>\n<p>      The suit states\u200d that Ms. Rooks&#8217;s \u200dcomments made her a target of secular activist \u2064groups, claiming her quoting religious verse was \u2064unlawful under the Establishment\u2063 Clause of the\u200d First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.\n    <\/p><\/div>\n<p>The Establishment Clause\u200b is a legal safeguard against the religious overreach of government and political influence \u2063over religion.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-figure\" style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:1200px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"aligncenter\"><figcaption>Supreme Court\u2063 Justice\u2063 John Roberts\u2063 (2nd \u2063L) administers the oath \u200cof office\u2062 to U.S. President Donald Trump \u200c(L) as his wife Melania Trump (3rd L)\u2062 holds The Bible \u2062and son Barron Trump looks on, \u200bat the U.S. Capitol in Washington\u200d on Jan. 20, 2017. (Drew\u2063 Angerer\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;To vindicate her \u200dstatutory and constitutional rights as\u200c a \u200bboard member and citizen, [Ms.] Rooks respectfully brings this\u200b action \u200bto declare those rights\u2014and to dispel the confusion that regrettably clouded a practice as\u200c old as\u200c the Republic itself.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>On Jan. 12, Ms. Rooks recited \u2063a verse from Joshua 1:9.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Have I not commanded you? Be strong\u200b and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not\u200b be discouraged,\u200d for the Lord your God will be with \u200cyou \u2064wherever\u2062 you go.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>She recited excerpts from Isaiah 41:10, \u200bProverbs 22:6, Corinthians 16:13, and other Bible passages\u200c at \u2063subsequent meetings.<\/p>\n<p>After the board met on Feb. 9, Secular\u200b Communities for Arizona\u2014an activist group advocating for the separation of church\u200d and state\u2014issued a complaint accusing Ms.\u2062 Rooks\u200c of \u200d&#8221;unconstitutional proselytizing&#8221; by quoting scripture.<\/p>\n<p>The \u200bgroup also\u2064 claimed that doing so violated the Establishment Clause,\u2064 including the state constitution and the board&#8217;s operation goals.<\/p>\n<p>The suit states that the district board&#8217;s legal counsel, Lisa Anne Smith, \u2064emailed board members advising they couldn&#8217;t legally pray or recite scripture during\u2063 board meetings.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-figure\">\n<figure style=\"width:600px\" class=\"aligncenter\"><figcaption>A man reads a Bible\u200c passage during a service\u2062 commemorating\u2062 the victims\u200c of Maui&#8217;s wildfires in Kihei, Maui, on Aug. \u200c13,\u2062 2023. (Allan Stein\/The\u200d Epoch Times)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Board executive assistant Kimberly Kontra then\u2064 sent members\u2063 an email summarizing Ms. Smith&#8217;s legal guidance.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Board \u2062member acting \u200bin their role as such should not \u2062read\u2063 scripture during a board meeting, as it violates the Establishment Clause. Legal counsel also stated \u200dthat\u200c the First Amendment is not applicable in \u200bthis situation, as one \u200bis speaking as\u2064 a\u200b member \u200cof the public governing body, not an individual.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>At\u200c a board meeting on March 1, Ms. Rooks sought clarification from then-district Superintendent Jason Reynolds about the district attorney&#8217;s legal opinion.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Reynolds \u200dfollowed up with a memo to \u200cboard members affirming the \u2063legal opinion,\u2063 and at the board&#8217;s March 9 meeting, Ms. Rooks \u200bstood her ground by reciting Corinthians \u200d16:13: &#8220;Stay awake, stand\u2062 firm in your faith, be brave, be strong.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>On\u200c May 25, a\u2062 staff attorney \u2062representing the national\u2063 secular \u2064activist group\u2062 Freedom From \u200dReligion Foundation \u200dsent a letter to the board \u2062claiming Ms. \u2062Rooks was\u200c using her position as a personal pulpit for religious indoctrination.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-figure\" style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:750px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"aligncenter\"><figcaption>Police arrest Marcus Schroeder after he used a\u2063 microphone to read The Bible in protest against a &#8220;child-friendly&#8221;\u2063 drag event\u2062 in Watertown,\u200c Wis., on July 29,\u2063 2023.\u2064 (Courtesy of Marcus Schroeder)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The organization urged the district to take whatever action was\u200d necessary to resolve the matter under threat of\u200b &#8220;unnecessary\u2064 liability and potential financial strain,&#8221; the lawsuit adds.<\/p>\n<p>At a \u200bmeeting on July \u200d13, Ms. Rooks agreed to\u200d refrain from reciting Bible verses &#8220;at this time \u2062and will have my attorneys at First Liberty Institute handle\u200d this matter.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>      Under threat of lawsuits and official reprisals, the suit states Ms. Rooks seeks a\u200d &#8220;judicial determination \u2064of her rights&#8221; \u200bas an \u2064<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/grand-jury-indicts-school-board-members-for-alleged-secret-discussions-about-racial-agenda\/\" title=\"Grand Jury Indicts School Board Members For Alleged Secret Discussions About Racial Agenda\">elected board member<\/a>.<br \/>\n \u200c<\/p>\n<h2>&#8216;Absolute \u2062Immunity&#8217;<\/h2>\n<p>      \u2062  The \u200csuit asserts that the\u2063 U.S. Constitution \u2063guarantees Ms. Rooks &#8220;absolute legislative immunity for statements \u2063made at public meetings,&#8221; acknowledging\u2062 that no violation of \u200dthe Establishment \u200dClause occurred.\n    <\/p><\/div>\n<p>Ms. Rooks &#8220;doesn&#8217;t coerce or call for anyone else&#8217;s \u2063participation. She\u200c doesn&#8217;t ask for anyone to bow \u2063their heads, \u2062stand, or participate in reading,&#8221; the suit states.<\/p>\n<p>It adds that quoting Bible verses is &#8220;perfectly consistent&#8221; with the Establishment Clause, and\u200d to deny her that right violated the\u200b state and federal constitutions.<\/p>\n<p>The suit asks the court to declare Ms. Rooks entitled to &#8220;absolute legislative immunity&#8221; \u200dfor reciting Bible verses during board comments. It seeks an award of &#8220;nominal damages&#8221; for past violations of her civil rights.<\/p>\n<p>The Epoch Times \u200dcould not immediately reach First Liberty\u2063 Attorney\u200c Andrew Gould\u2062 and the district&#8217;s legal firm\u200c Gibson, Dunn &#038; Crutcher in Texas for\u2062 comment for this story.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2>Dangerous precedent for the freedom of religious expression in our society,&#8221; the\u2063 lawsuit states.<\/h2>\n<p><span>  \u200cPolitical climate can often be divisive \u2063and \u200ccontentious, \u2062and\u200c Ms. Rooks \u2063believes that \u2063quoting scripture \u200ccan bring a sense of\u2062 unity and moral guidance to the proceedings.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>According to \u2063the lawsuit, Ms. Rooks began quoting Bible verses \u2064during the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hot-mic-all-trustees-of-school-board-resign-after-mocking-parents-wanting-schools-reopened\/\" title=\"HOT MIC: All Trustees Of School Board Resign After Mocking Parents Wanting Schools Reopened\">public comment portion<\/a> of board meetings in February 2022. She felt that the verses provided inspiration and \u200bguidance\u2062 for the discussions and decisions being made by the board. However, in \u2062July 2022, she \u2062received a letter from the district&#8217;s attorney stating that her quoting of scripture was in violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, which prohibits the \u2064government from promoting or favoring any religion.<\/p>\n<p>Ms. Rooks asserts that her quoting\u2064 of scripture is not an\u200c endorsement or promotion of any specific religion, but\u2063 rather an expression of her own religious\u2064 beliefs and values. She argues that her freedom of speech and religion are protected under the United States and \u2063Arizona constitutions, and \u2064that the district&#8217;s actions in prohibiting her from quoting Bible verses infringe upon her civil rights.<\/p>\n<p>The suit also alleges that the\u200b district&#8217;s prohibition\u2063 is a\u200b form of viewpoint discrimination, as it allows \u200cother individuals to express their beliefs during public comment \u200cbut specifically targets Ms. Rooks&#8217;s \u2063religious expression. It claims that district officials have engaged \u2062in selective enforcement of their policies, allowing secular and non-religious expressions \u2062while\u2062 censoring\u200b religious ones.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, the lawsuit argues that \u2062there is a\u2062 long history of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/arizona-school-official-sues-district-that-prohibited-her-from-quoting-bible\/\" title=\"Arizona school official sues district for Bible-quoting ban.\">government officials invoking religious texts<\/a> during public ceremonies\u2064 and events, including presidential inaugurations, swearing-in ceremonies, and legislative sessions. It contends that quoting scripture has become a tradition and a way \u2063for elected \u2062officials to acknowledge the moral\u2062 foundations upon which our society is built.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Denying Ms. Rooks the\u2064 ability\u2062 to quote Bible verses \u200bduring board meetings not only infringes upon her individual \u200drights, but also\u2063 sets\u200c a<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A board member from Peoria Unified School District in Arizona has sued district officials in federal court, claiming her civil rights were violated when she was prohibited from quoting Bible verses during board meetings. The lawsuit was filed by the First Liberty Institute, a Christian conservative nonprofit, on behalf of Heather.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":294,"featured_media":2050911,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2050910","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2050910","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/294"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2050910"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2050910\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2050911"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2050910"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2050910"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2050910"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}